The Licensing Sub-Committee of Sheffield Council met on Tuesday 2 September 2025, to discuss Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing. Councillor Abdul Khayum, Joint Chair of the Licensing Committee, Councillor Barbara Masters, and Councillor Karen McGowan were scheduled to be in attendance. Much of the meeting was expected to be held in private, as the agenda indicated that the press and public may be excluded for some items.

Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing

The main item on the agenda was a report from the Chief Licensing Officer regarding individual cases related to Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing. The agenda noted that the report was not available to the public because it contained exempt information under paragraphs 1 and 2 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972¹.

Declarations of Interest

Councillors were reminded of their obligations to declare any interests they had in the business to be considered at the meeting. The AgendaAttachmentAugust23.pdf document provided guidance to members on declaring interests at meetings, including disclosable pecuniary interests (DPIs) and personal interests.

The guidance stated that councillors with a DPI relating to any business under consideration must not participate in any discussion or vote on the matter, and they must leave the room. They must also declare the interest to the meeting and notify the Council's Monitoring Officer within 28 days if the DPI is not already registered.

The document defined disclosable pecuniary interests as including:

• Employment, office, trade, profession or vocation carried on for profit or gain.
• Payments or financial benefits received in respect of expenses incurred as a member.
• Contracts between the councillor (or their spouse or civil partner) and the council for goods, services, or works.
• Beneficial interests in land within the council's area.
• Licences to occupy land in the council's area for a month or longer.
• Tenancies where the council is the landlord and the tenant is a body in which the councillor (or their spouse or civil partner) has a beneficial interest.
• Beneficial interests in securities of a body with a place of business or land in the council's area, where the total nominal value of the securities exceeds £25,000 or one hundredth of the total issued share capital of that body.

Councillors were also reminded that they must declare any personal interests they have in a matter, and they should leave the room if their continued presence is incompatible with the 7 Principles of Public Life.